Six Arrested After NJ March Against Violence Turns Violent

IRVINGTON, N.J. (AP) — Six people face charges after an anti-violence rally in northern New Jersey allegedly turned into a melee.

Wednesday night's march in Irvington — which was intended to honor two women who were fatally shot near a school in the Essex County community last week — began peacefully.

But Police Chief Michael Chase told The Star-Ledger of Newark that tempers flared when members of the Newark's Anti-Violence Coalition tried to move the demonstration into the street, despite an officer's warning to stay on the sidewalk.

Coalition member Bashir Akinyele claimed the group's permit allowed them to block the intersection at Myrtle and Madison avenues. But Chase said it only allowed them onto the sidewalk.

The six people arrested face various charges, including obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. But one faces a charge of inciting a riot.